For this class trip, we'll be traveling next door to Germany's old Communist friend, Poland. Andrzej Munk is most widely known for his film Passenger, which he didn't get to finish before dying in a car crash during production. A short synopsis:

The story is an odyssey of a little man through Poland of 1930 to 1950. It shows his attempts to cope with a changing world which seems to have no place for him. He has no consciousness of any kind but is always on the verge of turning into a more coherent human being, only to be slapped down. And a few screencaps from KG:

Since I started this a bit late, we're going to have until Monday, the 13th to watch this, then discussion will begin.

_________________Free Solo ▪ Faraway, So Close! ▪ Vanishing Time ▪ The Iron Giant ▪ Lisbon Story ▪ Jealousy Is My Middle Name ▪ On the Beach at Night Alone ▪ Paju ▪ A Girl at My Door ▪ A Brand New Life

Oh, and Malina is definitely not irrelevant. I'll talk about it any time. <3

_________________Free Solo ▪ Faraway, So Close! ▪ Vanishing Time ▪ The Iron Giant ▪ Lisbon Story ▪ Jealousy Is My Middle Name ▪ On the Beach at Night Alone ▪ Paju ▪ A Girl at My Door ▪ A Brand New Life

So, immediately after watching this the foremost thing that struck me was Munk's wonderful, often striking use of mise-en-scène. Particularly, the crafty ways he chooses to frame his bumbling, Keaton-esque protagonist, Jan. Firstly, in a move that adds to the surreal, comedic nature of the film, the director often has his character turn to the camera in the foreground of a deep composition, while other characters continue their business in the backround. It's a well-worn technique, usually used to - quite literally - bring the audience closer to the character, whereas here it serves almost exclusively as a means to dwarf the character: to show how small and feckless he is when placed in a larger context. Jan is little but a pawn, not just in the eyes and hands of the powers that be but also to history itself. As Julius Schartz Fackler concludes in his own analysis of Bad Luck, Munk's framing of his protagonist in this manner makes "outside factors appear imposing and threaten to either contain or consume him."

i'm sure you non-americans weren't let out of the labor camps or lycees until you were eligible for the dole, but Class Trips are meant to be taken TOGETHER en masse all to the same place at the same time, some sneak away and smoke cigs, some brown-nose the teacher, BUT EVERYONE'S ON THE FUCKING BUS THAT MORNING!!! this early and late bullshit makes these threads no different than any other boring come-as-you-are nonsense

timing = everything

Fri May 10, 2013 2:56 am

JediMoonShyne

Re: Class Trip #9: Bad Luck (Andrzej Munk, 1960)

Yeah, in that case I'm out.

I won't have time this weekend and early next week to contribute, unfortunately.

I'm a fan of the target date for discussion, but I have no problem with flexibility if it means more people can participate.

I won't be able to watch this one until Sunday, though. So I'll weigh in on Monday.

_________________Free Solo ▪ Faraway, So Close! ▪ Vanishing Time ▪ The Iron Giant ▪ Lisbon Story ▪ Jealousy Is My Middle Name ▪ On the Beach at Night Alone ▪ Paju ▪ A Girl at My Door ▪ A Brand New Life

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